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Actually, I am a home owner and my degree is in business administration. So, if I can understand various types of electric motors, surely others can also.

on the other hand, not all HOs care. in fact i asked the contractors i interviewed about how other HOs deal with the myriad of information about havc. they all said that most people just go with someone they trust and trust what they bring into the house. most HOs dont do the level of research and knowledge gathering I did. hell at this point i even know more about some of the details than the HVAC contractors (i've pointed out some details they were not aware of around various things like exchanger construction to warranty details). but thats me.

so like that previous poster said, i can imagine that the contractors have to adjust their "pitch" based on what they know of the specific HO. the contractor i am dealing with has responded quickly to the myriad of questions i asked.

on the other hand, i asked at one point "what makes the difference between a good install and a bad install" and his answer was "the install will speak for itself" where-as another contractor brought up specific issues. i think that the first contractor was just trying to be concise and non-technical which is fine, but it wasnt what i wanted to hear. once i started asking specific questions about drains, vents and hook ups his answers were detailed.

Actually, I am a home owner and my degree is in business administration. So, if I can understand various types of electric motors, surely others can also.

Do you think that the majority of persons in this country have a degree?

It is very arrogant and elitist of you to assume that every body does, because it assumes anyone who is degreeless is ignorant.

My customer base are people who work manufacturing jobs. How many degrees you going to find on an assembly line? These people have an intuative grasp of mechanics. When I present a system to them they don't want to hear it laid out in tech-speak, they want common every day language they can relate to.

Do you think that the majority of persons in this country have a degree?

It is very arrogant and elitist of you to assume that every body does, because it assumes anyone who is degreeless is ignorant.

My customer base are people who work manufacturing jobs. How many degrees you going to find on an assembly line? These people have an intuative grasp of mechanics. When I present a system to them they don't want to hear it laid out in tech-speak, they want common every day language they can relate to.

the point is that its probably more effective to gear the nature of your communication to the intended audience. "speak the users language" as we say in my field (usability). im sure hvac contractors have a challenge with this as there are so many different kinds of people that ultimately want the same thing: to make a decision they are comfortable with.

on the other hand, not all HOs care. in fact i asked the contractors i interviewed about how other HOs deal with the myriad of information about havc. they all said that most people just go with someone they trust and trust what they bring into the house. most HOs dont do the level of research and knowledge gathering I did. hell at this point i even know more about some of the details than the HVAC contractors (i've pointed out some details they were not aware of around various things like exchanger construction to warranty details). but thats me.

so like that previous poster said, i can imagine that the contractors have to adjust their "pitch" based on what they know of the specific HO. the contractor i am dealing with has responded quickly to the myriad of questions i asked.

on the other hand, i asked at one point "what makes the difference between a good install and a bad install" and his answer was "the install will speak for itself" where-as another contractor brought up specific issues. i think that the first contractor was just trying to be concise and non-technical which is fine, but it wasnt what i wanted to hear. once i started asking specific questions about drains, vents and hook ups his answers were detailed.

brett

You said a mouth full, but what stands out is the trust one generates between him and the prospect. A guy who grants me his work is gonna get my best shot. If they have the monetary means then I recommend accessories that add honest value and comfort to the job.

Too detailed for a HO?

hvaclover: "As a student anybody who attended a good HVAC school knows all that theroy, but I think it is too deep to present to an HO>"

That statement really annoyed me because it implies that attending a good HVAC school takes a student way above the understanding level of their average customer. To use an analogy, the best HVAC folks I have met in conjunction with my recent installation were about at the level of a good hospital nurse. Competent, capable, the result of considerable training, clearly professional folks, BUT not in the same class as skilled surgical nurses, and way below specialist surgeons.

The HVAC professionals meeting with customers need to appreciate that in many cases the customer's skill in some subset of HVAC will be many times greater than theirs. Perhaps a chemist who really understands the properties of refrigerants, or a computer engineer who is not intimidated by the simple structure of even the most advanced thermostat or furnace control board. That does not mean the HO is a better HVAC professional, but when they do ask an intelligent question, better not talk down to them.

The point about written information (like this website) is that the reader does not have to read anything that is of no interest to them, so let the writer go as technical as they want to - some readers will appreciate it, some will ignore it.

I wish I was in the business so I could read the professional forum - the subject interests me - and it is not because I want to DIY. For the moment, I say bring on the heaviest technical stuff you can, some of us like it!

hvaclover: "As a student anybody who attended a good HVAC school knows all that theroy, but I think it is too deep to present to an HO>"

That statement really annoyed me because it implies that attending a good HVAC school takes a student way above the understanding level of their average customer. To use an analogy, the best HVAC folks I have met in conjunction with my recent installation were about at the level of a good hospital nurse. Competent, capable, the result of considerable training, clearly professional folks, BUT not in the same class as skilled surgical nurses, and way below specialist surgeons.

The HVAC professionals meeting with customers need to appreciate that in many cases the customer's skill in some subset of HVAC will be many times greater than theirs. Perhaps a chemist who really understands the properties of refrigerants, or a computer engineer who is not intimidated by the simple structure of even the most advanced thermostat or furnace control board. That does not mean the HO is a better HVAC professional, but when they do ask an intelligent question, better not talk down to them.

The point about written information (like this website) is that the reader does not have to read anything that is of no interest to them, so let the writer go as technical as they want to - some readers will appreciate it, some will ignore it.

I wish I was in the business so I could read the professional forum - the subject interests me - and it is not because I want to DIY. For the moment, I say bring on the heaviest technical stuff you can, some of us like it!

You are annoyed? Don't see why. It's my job to more knowledgeable than my customer. If an individual isn't more on top of his industry then the market he serves what value is he?

I have been at this thirty years and am not a student in school.

If you like to get in to the deeper aspects of this industry then I commend you. I like educated prospect.
Even the ones who think they know more then the prospective Contractor they are looking to hire.

I reject out of hand your assertion that a prospect could know more then an HVAC professional. He may be book smart about the subject but does not have the experience to back up the tech-speak.

And finally I would reiterate that you missed my point completely.
The point being put forth was that you can't go that DEEP with every prospect you make a presentation to....there was nothing said about limiting the content or topic with in this forum.

I would like to be a fly on the wall as you meet with an HVAC professtional. I do believe what you said about talking down to people ...but I don't think this would be coming from the HVAC professional.